A Song of Ice and Fire (1) - A Game of Thrones

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A breathtaking and compelling novel, penned by a master Storyteller. A Game of Thrones feels so authentic, it’s as though it is a written record, based on historical facts. If you haven't previously been tempted by science fiction and fantasy novels, dive in head first and have the most wonderful and exhilarating world opened up to you. But be warned, this is a compulsive read that you may not be able to put down.

The author introduces the huge and varied cast with poetic ease, focusing on a different character in each chapter. The rival and warring factions herald a web of collusion and intrigue. No one is either truly good or evil, everyone has their faults and flaws making each seem so very human. You become as intimate with the less likeable characters as the more favourable ones and you care in some way about every single one of them.

Beautifully descriptive, find yourself swept across land and sea, from ice cold ranges full of unknown fears to grassy plains of provocative conspiracies. Martin is able to tell the story of young, old, male and female with great aplomb; feel the thrill of fear as innocence is lost and lives are threatened and changed forever. ~ Liz Robinson

Synopsis

A Song of Ice and Fire (1) - A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

HBO's hit series A GAME OF THRONES is based on George R R Martin's internationally bestselling series A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE, the greatest fantasy epic of the modern age. A GAME OF THRONES is the first volume in the series. Summers span decades. Winter can last a lifetime. And the struggle for the Iron Throne has begun. As Warden of the north, Lord Eddard Stark counts it a curse when King Robert bestows on him the office of the Hand. His honour weighs him down at court where a true man does what he will, not what he must ...and a dead enemy is a thing of beauty. The old gods have no power in the south, Stark's family is split and there is treachery at court. Worse, the vengeance-mad heir of the deposed Dragon King has grown to maturity in exile in the Free Cities. He claims the Iron Throne.

Reviews

'Of those who work in the grand epic fantasy tradition, George R.R. Martin is by far the best'Time Magazine

'Colossal, staggering... Martin captures all the intoxicating complexity of the Wars of the Roses or Imperial Rome in his imaginary world ... one of the greats of fantasy literature'SFX

'The sheer-mind-boggling scope of this epic has sent other fantasy writers away shaking their heads ... Its ambition: to construct the Twelve Caesars of fantasy fiction, with characters so venomous they could eat the Borgias'Guardian

About the Author

George R. R. Martin published his first story in 1971 and quickly rose to prominence, winning four HUGO and two NEBULA AWARDs in quick succession before he turned his attention to fantasy with the historical horror novel FEVRE DREAM, now a Fantasy Masterwork. Since then he has won every major award in the fields of fantasy, SF and horror. His magnificent epic saga A Song of Ice and Fire is redefining epic fantasy for a new generation. George R. R. Martin lives in New Mexico.